The north Auburn's McDonald's is changing with the times by adopting a new look.

A construction project is under way to rebuild the restaurant – located at 1531 Auburn Way N., near the intersection with 15th Street Northeast – from the ground up into a more contemporary place to eat.

Owner and operator, Stan Pennock hopes the restaurant will reopen before the end of the year.

"We're contemporizing the interiors and exteriors to show our customers that we can change with the times and their needs while retaining the basic principles that have made us the global iconic brand we are today," Pennock said in a statement. "You’ll see a new exterior design, which reflects the new face of McDonald’s and includes a more defined and inviting entry into the restaurant and a double-lane drive-thru for better service."

The new McDonald's, once completed, will provide zoned seating with a variety of options for customers, such as booths, chairs and small, lounge-type seating areas. In addition, the new restaurant will feature plasma screen TVs and free Wi-Fi access.

Elsewhere

• JobBait is on the move. The weekly workshop service, which provides assistance to job seekers, is expanding and relocating to Tacoma Goodwill after an 18-month run in Auburn.

"Thank you for helping us make these workshops a success," said Mark Hovind, president and CEO of JobBait. "We are grateful. … Our workshops were so successful, volunteer groups in other areas and states have attended and cloned our workshops."

The workshops were held weekly at the White River Valley Museum.

Hovind said the new location in Tacoma at 714 S. 27th St., will allow his service to reach a wider audience and offer new services, including on-site Internet access, computer software training, job skills training and individual coaching.

"We also are hoping to help many of the veterans returning from Iraq," Hovind said.

According to Hovind, JobBait has helped more than 500 clients locally and hundreds nationally through an estimated 1,000 hours of volunteer work.

To learn more, visit www.jobbait.com.

• Communities In Schools of Auburn – in partnership with the SuperMall – is collecting new clothes and donations to support the back-to-school effort as part of the Earning for Learning campaign.

Shop or dine at the SuperMall from now unitl Oct. 5 and earn points for the school of choice. The top five schools will win cash prizes. This year, shoppers can earn bonus points for their school when they bring a donation of clothing purchased at the SuperMall or donate $10 or more to CIS of Auburn.

Those donating a piece of clothing and making a cash donation of $10 or more will be entered to win one of four $25 gift cards. Bring receipts and donations to guest services.

CISA provides supplies to every Auburn school for students in need. To volunteer, donate or learn more, e-mail cisauburn@comcast.net or call 253-288-7659.

• Solar Washington is joining the non-profit American Solar Energy Society and hundreds of solar-savvy installers and grassroots organizations throughout America to collectively showcase more than 5,000 solar-powered homes, schools and businesses – in Washington and across North America – for the 15th annual National Solar Tour, the world’s largest grassroots solar event.

The Oct. 2 tour will stop in Lakeland Hills at 1306 57th Drive SE, Auburn. The event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is designed to introduce the solar technologies being used to drastically reduce monthly energy bills; reduce harmful carbon emissions; and enjoy rich tax credits and cash incentives as ways to improve property values.

The self-guided tours afford participants the direct perspectives of homeowners and installers about the costs, processes and economic and environmental benefits of going solar. The tours also give a glimpse at how a variety of solar systems look in and around structures with different architectural styles.

This event – whose theme this year is “Be Solar Inspired” – is free and open to the public.

For tour updates or to learn more about sponsoring, hosting or volunteering for a tour in your community, visit, www.NationalSolarTour.org or e-mail tour@solarwashington.org.

• Sound Mental Health, one of the state’s largest community mental health provider with a campus located in Auburn, announced the launch of its new Web site – wwww.smh.org.

Developed after more than 15 months of analysis and planning, the new site will feature enhanced navigation and access to vital community resources, a user-friendly design and significantly enhanced tools for the community to interact with Sound Mental Health.

“We want our Web site to be a place that folks visit often to learn about issues, new developments and services available in community mental health,” said David Stone, CEO of Sound Mental Health. “Ongoing advances in technology, an increasing community need for enhanced resources and the anticipated changes from healthcare reform were key drivers for us to develop this new site.”

The new site will be robust enough to support SMH’s future social media and blogging initiatives and its electronic newsletter, Mental Health Matters. Web polls and surveys, importantly, will enable SMH to learn more about the community’s thoughts on important community mental health issues.

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